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Standards Correlations
R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6
Learning objective
Students will read a play based on a Greek myth and make inferences about the plot and characters.
Key Skills
inference, text features, vocabulary, genre, plot, character, cause and effect, interpreting text, critical thinking, making connections, narrative writing
Complexity Factors
Levels of Meaning: The play touches on themes of self-discipline, curiosity, and teamwork.
Structure: The story is chronological. The Greek chorus helps summarize and clarify the main events in each scene.
Language: The language is conversational.
Knowledge Demands: Some knowledge of Greek mythology is helpful but not required.
Levels
Guided Reading Level: U
DRA Level: 50
Lesson Plan: Pandora’s Box
Essential Questions
Literature Connection
1. Preparing to Read
Preview Text Features (10 minutes)
Guide students to locate the story. Then preview text features with the following prompts:
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
Make a Plan for Reading
2. Reading and Unpacking the Text
Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)
Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)
3. Skill Building and Writing
Learn Anywhere Activity
An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom
Play a Role
Playing the role of a fictional character can help you understand how that character thinks and feels.
Choose a character from “Pandora’s Box” that you’re going to play. Imagine that your character is being interviewed for a news story about the Pandora’s Box Disaster, in which hatred and disease entered the world. Then make a video of yourself acting as that character.
Start your video by saying, “Hi, I’m ______.” Then answer these questions:
Language-Acquisition Springboard
Increase fluency with common idioms from Greek mythology.
When people learn English, idioms can be a real roadblock. Out of context, they seem to make no sense. You can help your students make sense of some idioms by showing where they come from.
After reading the play, watch our fun video “Myth Talk: Figures of Speech.” Discuss the four figures of speech in the video. Then write these sentence starters on the board. Ask students to finish each sentence with an idiom from the video.
Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.
Print This Lesson Plan